Friday, February 20, 2009

The Circle of Art is a fundraiser for Food Gatherers - our local, wonderful organization working to feed hungry people in our area. The Circle of Art is a party and an art auction to help raise funds for a cause that has become ever more important in these hard times. I donated the piece shown here and encourage other local artists to donate their work as well.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Having a house and home is part of the American dream. Currently, more people are losing their homes than any other time since the Great Depression, and Michigan has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country. Add to this the crises of homelessness and natural disasters that sweep away whole communities, and we see a population in distress. For migrant communities, often less visible and sometimes here illegally, moving from one temporary space to another takes a continuous toll. Yet we are a nation of immigrants who never give up the urge and the courage to move on.

What does it mean to families, children, women and men to lose their physical surroundings? What are the emotional consequences of being cut adrift? Home is often considered the “woman’s domain”. What does it feel like to lose that center of control, often a woman’s work of a lifetime? Is there a freedom in leaving everything behind?

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Desert blogger Chris Clarke has put together the first monthly Carnival of the Arid. Two of my posts here about hiking/camping in Canyonlands National Park are included along with a lot of other posts by people who share an affinity for the dry places in the world. Here are a couple more shots from that same trip. We're above freezing today in Michigan so remembering beautiful desert vistas instead of slushy snow and ice is heartening as I wait to drop back to single digits later this week.